Jetlagged
by SunRae5
Summary: One-shot. "I believe the appropriate expression for this is that we're 'jetlagged'." Luna's observation was, as always, quite an accurate one and Hermione found herself agreeing with it. Ten years after the war ends, the group of former friends meets for the first time in a decade and find that they might be a bit more behind on each other's lives than they thought.


_A/N: This idea has been dancing around in my brain for quite some time so I decided to finally give it a shot. I hope I've done it justice. :)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or settings of Harry Potter. All rights belong to J.K. Rowling and the other respective companies._

_RxExR!_

* * *

_Jetlagged_

Hermione peered around the hallway carefully, taking in each and every detail that made the hallway in Hogwarts so special. Each and every nook and cranny made the place what it was. From all the dents that students had made in the walls to the secret declarations that they had etched into the corners where they thought that no one would find them, it all was what made this entrance hall so unique.

When she had left Hogwarts after finally graduating fourteen years ago she had moved away to France to escape all the hastle that was going on around them as the reporters clamoured to get news of the 'Golden Trio' as they had been especially sought after once the war had finished.

She hadn't wanted the publicity though, she had only craved for some peace and quiet and therefore she had left, despite both Ron and Harry asking her to stay. Neither of them had the problems with the sudden attention that she had had and therefore they hadn't quite understood her desire to leave.

Somehow however, in the year that followed her departure, their correspondence had stopped. Ron had never been one to write letters and Harry had been quite caught up in his new job as an auror and his new budding romance with Ginny to write all too much. She herself would have written more but she had been just as preoccupied as them, starting a company a couple of months after going to France.

And after that there had been the small problem of her husband being in exile in France and by extension, as she had married him, she had also been in exile. But even that had happened quite a while after that first year.

In the second year, communication between her and her friends in England had stopped completely. She wasn't sure why but she regretted the fact that she hadn't taken more of an initiative to keep their correspondence alive. She had been angry at them at the time for neglecting to write despite her efforts so therefore she had merely left it at that, refusing to be the only one to try.

She had fallen in love in that second year and married and her best friends and 'adoptive' family of the Weasleys hadn't been present. Sometimes she regretted that but she knew that at the time it had been for the best. And anyway, she had only heard of Harry's and Ron's own marriages through the papers and not from them directly. A fact that stung, even though she knew that she, in some respect, deserved it.

And now, ten years later at this reunion, she could safely say that she was perhaps one of the people that had changed the most out of all of them, which was why she was so nervous to go through the doors of the Grand Hall and face all those people that she hadn't seen in ten years.

Her husband's exile had ended four years ago but they had decided to stay in France where they weren't as well known, where they could simply go out onto the streets and not worry about the press hounding them down. They were thinking about moving back to England though so that their children would be able to attend Hogwarts once they were old enough. But at the moment, she was really more worried about this blasted reunion than anything else.

"Hermione, no matter how many times you pull at the dress, it will still look absolutely stunning on you." She turned around when she heard her husband's voice and smiled softly as he leaned down and kissed her briefly on the lips.

"I know, I know. It's just..." She looked around the hallway and she knew that other people would probably also enter through the front door although they were already fashionably late.

"That you haven't seen them in a very long time and you don't know how they will react and you really wish that Caelum would let go of me." He smirked as she nodded absent mindedly at all three and then sent him a small glare at his last comment.

"I still don't know why he won't let you out of his sights." She mumbled and Draco laughed, a sound that she was sad that she hadn't known in the first seven years of the time that they had known each other.

"Now stop worrying about everything and go in there and be the confident and beautiful woman that I know you to be." Draco smiled at her softly before gently nudging her towards the entrance of the Great Hall. "In the mean time, I'll show Caelum the Slytherin dungeons that he will rule over one day."

"I thought that Scorpius was going to rule over them." Hermione smirked slightly, a gesture that she had picked up from her husband over the years.

"Well, by the time that Scorp's finished with school, Caelum's going to enter so he can continue from where his brother finished off. And anyway, we all know that Cassie's going to be the Slytherin princess and all as there is no way that either she or Scorpius are going to be in any other house." Hermione felt no regret in agreeing with him there. Her eldest two were Slytherins through and through. "But Jasper's going to be in Ravenclaw, he's too clever to be anywhere else." Hermione snorted, again, she had to agree with her husband there. "And Ella's going to probably end up in Hufflepuff to the everlasting shame of the Malfoys. Even father said that she is too kind and gentle even as a four year old. She's got no selfishness at all, she's an angel."

"I don't quite know whether you are complimenting our four year old daughter or insulting her." Hermione raised a delicate eyebrow at him.

"I'm not insulting her, I love her to bits. But she simply isn't cut out, from what I can see at least, for the ambition of the other three houses. She's simply too sweet." Draco elaborated. "And Carina and William are the new Fred and George Weasley so therefore they are going to be in Gryffindor. Which only leaves this little squirt to take over after his brother." He smiled fondly down at the two months old Caelum who was clutching his shirt tightly, refusing to let go.

"New Fred and George Weasley?" Hermione was amused to say the least. Hearing her husband compare their two year old twins to two men that she viewed as her brothers was something that she really hadn't expected at all.

"Their first words were 'trouble' and 'fun' and they have managed to somehow blow up our kitchen and they are only two. Yes, they are the new versions of those two." He said with a deadpan expression and she really couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, okay, go and show Caelum his new kingdom." She snickered as she watched him walk away towards the dungeons with Caelum in his arms; he really knew how to make her laugh which in this situation she could really appreciate.

And she knew that he was only showing Caelum the dungeons, even though their baby boy would not understand a word of what his father spoke of, to give her some time to chat with her friends before she dropped the bomb that was 'I kinda married Draco Malfoy and just had my seventh child with him'. He was getting a lot more intuitive than he had been in the earlier years of their relationship and by now they could almost instinctively tell how the other felt or if something was wrong.

She loved him all the more for it.

But now it was time. She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. It would be strange, that much was certain, but she was also looking forward to this reunion immensely.

And so she walked through the doors and her breath caught in her throat as she looked around the beautifully decorated Great Hall. It was wonderful. All of the houses were represented on one of the walls and the ceiling above them showed a beautifully clear summer's eve. The school had really outdone itself once again.

Whispers followed her as she walked through the hall to the refreshments table. She hadn't spied any of her former friends yet and she decided that standing around looking forlorn wasn't going to do anyone any good.

Taking a glass of champagne, she decided to merely observe the Great Hall and the people within it. She would probably see them sooner or later anyway.

It was five minutes later that she finally saw them. The Weasleys' red hair really was a blessing in this case as it helped her to actually locate them. Taking in a deep breath of air and steadying her hands as she began to walk over, she ignored all the whispers of astonishment that followed her.

When she finally reached her former friends, she realised that none of them had actually noticed her approach yet and she took a couple of seconds to just look at them, to see how they had changed after all this time.

Ginny was as gorgeous as ever, her bright red hair being complimented by the red dress that she was wearing. There was a small but distinguishable bump visible and Hermione was happy to see that she and Harry would finally be graced with a child of their own after four years of marriage. Mrs. Weasley was probably ecstatic at the thought that she would finally be receiving some grandchildren from them.

Harry was standing next to Ginny, his wife's arm looped through his as he animatedly discussed something with Ron who was standing opposite the pair. His spectacles looked new, at least they weren't the old ones that he had always worn in school, and from her position she could recognise a slight stubble on his chin. He was still quite handsome, although she personally believed that he would never hold a candle to her own husband.

Ron looked older, slightly more worn out than his sister and brother-in-law and Hermione surmised that it was probably due to him recently having had to give up his dream of being a quidditch star due to an injury he had sustained during a game. At least, that was what the papers wrote. Absent from the group though, was Lavender, whom she had expected to be there as well. From what the papers said, he didn't have a child yet either and she knew that for him that would be quite hard as he had always desired children and a lot of them due to his own upbringing.

Also standing there was Neville, who was literally glowing and Hermione knew that this was due to the woman standing next to him, Hannah Abbot or soon to be Hannah Longbottom. Their engagement had been splashed all over the papers and she was aware that their wedding would be in two months.

It was actually quite sad that she only knew all of this due to the papers and not due to actually being in touch with them.

But hopefully that would change after tonight.

"Hello." She smiled warmly, but tentatively, as she finally reached them and all of them looked at her with a fair amount of confusion.

They didn't recognise her.

"It's good to see you all again." She was not going to stand here in awkward silence after already enduring ten years of that. No way, José.

"Um, I'm sorry but-" Ginny began.

"Hermione, you're here already." Luna's dreamy voice came from behind her and Hermione turned around to see one of her best friends also arrive at the group, enveloping her in a hug that she gladly returned.

"Luna, when did you get here?" She queried, ignoring the shocked looks from the group watching them for now. Seriously, she hadn't changed _that_ much, had she?

"Oh, just a couple of minutes ago." Luna waved her arm dismissively. "Blaise couldn't find the right tie so we had to find one which matched his eyes and my dress and- is that a wrackspurt over there?" She looked over Hermione's shoulder and then shook her head. "No, it looks more like a Gekrinamo, you know, like the ones we have in Italy."

Hermione smiled at Luna, glad to see that she was here too. Luna had moved away from England after the death of her father, deciding that she didn't want to continue living in a house that contained so much death. In Italy, she had bumped into Blaise and what followed was what could only best be described as a 'whirl-wind romance' which had ended in one of the happiest marriages that Hermione knew of. Even if their former friends hadn't approved of it, trying to stop Luna from making 'one of the biggest mistakes of her life' and then boycotting her wedding to show that they were serious about it.

Luna had gotten married to Blaise nonetheless.

Blaise and Luna were also the only ones from Hogwarts, that she knew of anyway, that knew of her own marriage to Draco, considering that they had both been at it. And Hermione knew that she would probably need any support she could get tonight.

"Hermione?" Ginny's incredulous voice reached her and Hermione turned back around to face the group that was now staring at her in wonder (although there was still a fair amount of shock present on all of their faces).

"Hey Gin." She smiled at them again, not quite sure whether she should wave or do something else to greet them as well.

"Good God, it is you." And Ginny rushed forward, embracing her so tightly that Hermione was unable to breathe for a couple of seconds.

"Hermione." Harry was grinning broadly and suddenly she was being hugged by everyone, first Harry, who took over from his wife, followed by Neville and a very tentative hug from Hannah (they had shared Muggle Studies at school but apart from that never really talked) and finally by Ron, whose hug was every bit as warm and welcoming as Harry's had been which was a surprise considering that they had fought the last time they had actually seen each other face to face.

"Where have you been? We haven't seen you in ages." Harry's smile was warm and Hermione felt slightly disconcerted that he was avoiding their pretty apparent loss of contact over the past decade.

She decided to ignore it for now.

"I stayed in France, settled down over there." She smiled and she was sad to note that she had taken on the mask that she always had on when talking with strangers. These people shouldn't be strangers to her and yet somehow, they had come to be exactly that.

"What's it like over there?" Came Neville's question and the conversation quickly descended into the realm of general small-talk. The weather, the food, the people. But nothing really personal. Well, apart from the fact that they were quite surprised that Luna and Hermione had been in touch over the past decade when they found out about it. Somehow their conversation turned to the recent gossip and the intrusive nature of the journalists. It was then that Hermione decided to voice her congratulations.

"Oh, and congratulations on your marriages, by the way." This time her smile was genuine as their happiness had always been something that she had valued. Ginny, Harry and Ron returned the smile and the small amounts of guilt and pain that finally appeared in their eyes mirrored her own emotions. This was awkward at best but still going better than she had expected considering that they hadn't spoken in nearly ten years.

"Thanks." Ginny smiled as she turned to Harry, her left hand in his right and the other hand moving to rest on her stomach. Hermione recognised the gesture well.

"When's it due?" She asked and Ginny's eyes shot up, suddenly nervous.

"You can see?" She asked and considering the previous statements about how annoying the press was, Hermione knew that Ginny probably feared the press attacking her and Harry about it.

"Yeah, but only because I've had the pleasure of knowing some pregnant people." Luna's eyes twinkled in amusement at that. She knew that Hermione was really referring more to her own pregnancies than anything else. "Luna, for example, showed quite late when she was pregnant with Lysander." Hermione nodded her head at her friend who graciously accepted the veiled compliment.

"You have kids?" Neville turned to her with wide eyes and Luna and Hermione both chuckled.

"Yeah. Lorcan's four and Lysander is one." Luna smiled softly, joy overtaking her face as she thought of her two little boys back home in Italy.

"Congratulations." Hannah's smile was exceedingly warm and Hermione immediately like the woman even more. "Blaise must be quite proud."

"He is." Luna grinned. "But what he's really waiting for is a little princess of his own."

"So he can spoil her to bits." Hermione grinned.

"He's horrible." Luna was still grinning. "I swear he takes too much pleasure in spoiling them."

"But that's Blaise for you." Hermione shook her head in amusement. Blaise was brilliantly over the top and had a flair for the melodramatic. Nevertheless, he was a good man, one who loved his wife and kids above all and who had been there for Draco, even when his best friend had been a right pain in the arse to be around.

"Actually Ron." Ron turned to look at Luna. "Where's Lavender? I haven't seen her all evening." The dreamy quality of her voice was as pronounced as ever and everyone sort of froze at the question.

"Probably near the table with the drinks." Ron's voice was harsh and yet Hermione didn't miss the underlying sadness of his voice. Something was going on here and she stopped herself from asking them about it.

A sudden murmur went through the hall and they all looked over to see Draco walking towards them. Hermione knew what the murmurs were for. Draco Malfoy heading towards the group including the 'Golden Trio'? Yeah, everyone was expecting some sort of fight. Ridiculous really, if one considered how little people's opinions and perceptions of them had changed.

Draco had entered the hall a good fifteen minutes after her and Hermione had watched him out of the corner of her eyes as he conversed with Blaise and Pansy, all while Caelum gurgled happily in his father's arms. There had been murmurs even then because nobody had expected him to show up at all, much less with a child in his arms, and even Harry and the others had been throwing covert glances at him the entire time.

Hermione had been pleased to note that it was without the former malice with which they had always regarded their rival.

"Okay, how much longer do we have to stay until it is socially acceptable for us to leave again?" Draco asked when he had finally reached them and the others were all standing there in a somewhat stunned silence as Hermione took Caelum from his arms, the little boy laughing as he clutched his mother's dress.

Blaise was right behind him and he spun his wife around upon arrival.

"Uh, Malfoy, not to point out the obvious, but why are you here?" Harry sounded curious and extremely wary, which Hermione understood. After all, dislike rarely faded overnight.

"I'm here to hand over my son to my wife because although I care for him greatly, he is starting to become heavy. And to ask her when we can leave." He stated and Hermione knew, from the look in his eyes that he was deriving a great amount of amusement from the situation.

Ten years had changed them all.

"Wife?" Was Ginny's question.

"Son?" Were Harry's and Neville's exclamations as they stared at the small boy in Hermione's arms.

"Leave?" Was Luna's question.

"Wife." He pointed at Hermione. "Son." He pointed at Caelum. "And yes, I want to leave because I'm starting to get bored." He shrugged. Yeah, he was enjoying this way too much.

The lull in the hum of conversation around them indicated that everyone had heard what Draco had said and Hermione felt a smile quite akin to her husband's gracing her features.

"What's that human expression for a temporary disruption of the body?" Luna asked her husband who pondered her question for a moment.

"Do you mean jet lag?" He asked and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah. I believe the appropriate expression for this is that we're 'jetlagged'. What do you guys think about coffee next week?" Luna asked, completely serious and Hermione couldn't help the chuckles that escaped her lips, Draco joining in pretty quickly. The mood caught and soon Ginny was holding onto Harry, who was gripping Ron's shoulders. Neville looked highly amused and Hannah was laughing aloud.

Bless Luna. Only she would be able to make such an awkward situation bearable again.

"I think it's a great idea." Harry grinned and the others all nodded, the chuckled slowly beginning to subside.

They might be 'jetlagged' now, and had been so about each other's lives for the past decade, but like jet lag, it could hopefully be overcome quite easily with time.


End file.
